Somali pirates seize up to 100 Indian sailors: industry body

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AHMEDABAD, India — Somali pirates have seized up to 100 Indian sailors after capturing seven to eight vessels, the president of an Indian shipping association told AFP on Tuesday.
"On Saturday afternoon we got the information that seven or eight vessels registered with us have been hijacked by Somali pirates," said Kasam Ali, president of the merchant cargo boat group Kutch Vahanvati Association in the western state of Gujarat.
"Eighty to 100 people who were on these vessels are missing."
Ali, who said he did not know where the hijackings took place, added that one of the boats under attack had alerted its owners.
"There is no more contact with the crew members," he said.
India's shipping ministry alerted the Indian navy late Tuesday to the loss of eight vessels, asking it to verify the number of crew members missing, ministry and navy officials told AFP.
The Times of India newspaper reported that the ships were on their way from Somalia to Dubai when they were hijacked after leaving a port in the rebel territory of Kismayo in Somalia.